Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1887-02-25
re Tacsma "a an1F nIrn
SaEMMr.


straits before sha vine. al sails -. ssd
tAs sns Tneo9a uilh ths barb CoEus. u
~. vas stsamfng go 10 So aeninss
. strong uind and tfds. Ths vessels
aiz1tsd go other sons niiss away, bat
thssaah fauli u these il charaa Of fke
navlsaiioE q the Blns Jaeksf, sslii-
sion occurred. dsmaginR ne tug 20 tks
sxssnl q $780, Ths Tacoms NH
Ooupany IibsiIad ths Baas yankst, and
fhs osnsEs Of lhs Isstsz put In . eros
Iibsi for $50. alleging re tae 70 Be
solsly ia fauls, with rasuls in favor Ct
the sn& foE ez59A
Roli0wiaa II the 6ecfsion II Judaa
Greene. rendered yesterday:
oPIRIoM.
Ths problsm Of tie eollfiou cut Of
vhieh tksse t9o cazes aKiss, ID one Of
shs Uost difasuif 10 admiralty that !
have yes enoonnteFed. In the en-
deavsr patiently 10 Bosvs Il, have been
Rreafly aiced by the careful manner 10
which the casss have been prepared and
submitted, and b. the full and abis
arguments Of he advoc9tss.
Mr. ooocl1aionB are embodied IN
eondeaaed form IN the table Of die
tanees, ETC.,, and the diagram, which &c
esmpzny and are part u this opinion.
OF coarse, no diagram can be made, and
Of tina am very sensible. which shall
Be dednced from the mere data Of the
svidenee, although the evidences il very
Eolnminons and furnishes q RreEt and
Varioas mas Of data. and watch shall
represent 1tth absoiaie truth IN dus
proportion, the eemplieaaed eiFcam-
stances Of collision kiks this. Bat il
10 possible, / thiak, 10 ooustrnot one
which shall fairly haEmonizs ali GO
searly all the svidence, clarity the oou-
cepsiou, and ass - and eysn satisfy TIE
iu6xmeat. The accompanying diagram
and tsble are derived and construeted
from the evidencs after . paingtaktng
examination and consideration Of Is.
They are believed 70 exhibit with elass
appEoximation, the true courses, times.
distances and bearings Of the three YES
sells. the anip, the taa and the bark in
tog, % far 81 necessary 10 BE- consider
ed tn the decision Of the causes. and 30
far Is asceFtainabie ffem ~ exhaustive
an analysis and synshesis Of the facts
contained N evidsnce as ! have bean
able 10 naks. Possibly some or every
so1Fse, distance, time. bearing and con-
diti0n a. wrwaghs into the diagram may
vary considerably from the reality, but
/ The relations Of the real courses, etc,
/ 70 one another, and their respective
| comparative and eomhined contribution
70 the result mast, an satisfied, have
been very nearly as 10 Represented
Neither the palh Of the ship, nor that
Of tbs tug, nor yet that Of the bark was
regular, for each vessel must have run
more or less swinging. OF the three
| paths, that Of the ship mast have varied
most from q straight course, che run
ming 80 she vas before the Wind, aod
with leading tide. Bat - 10 those Of
the tug and bark. since the tug vas 6
propeller and vas pulling hsF toS
| against strong wind and tide, those may
be considered 20 have been practically
straight sndhdeutisal, until VI hinia feW
minutes of the catastrophe.
Tso keys applied ct the same time
unloek the problem Of this collision.
One " the swing Of the ahip. the stbeE
Der maneuveF in turniBQ 10 port uatil
she spilled her wind. Her circle Of rev
0lutlon. II propelled by internal power,
in still water and dead calD, helm bard
9 starboaFd. would have had sianisteE
/ Of not less than SIX nor more than eight
times her length-say, on q fir ssfi-
mate. 1915 feet. Taking this ~ basis
and making due allowance for The
effects Of Fueh wind and tide as slG
bad. / ind that she eould NOT with
sails square have changed from dead
before the wind to wind abeam In q les
leevard distance than about 2560 feet
OF on lees path than about $50 feet
unlsss assisted by contact With the tug.
A direct course terminated BY suoh 9
curved path will not account for tbs
phenomena Of hsr ap sroaeh as observed
from the tug ABd bark, no matter whai
sapposable path be assigned 10 them
But II her more distans approach vert
along q swinging path deviating alter
ustesy to starboard and to port. say onl
half point Is suggested by her mastei
IN bis testimony. and crossing her meal
course about every half mile or ct inter
walls OF about four minutes. and WeF'
terminated on the port side Of her meal
course, before abe returned 10 trns
course, by the maneaver to port which
ended in the collision, all apparent seFi
Gus discrepancies IN the evidence a.
easily made to vanish. For, let tn
osurse OF the tug aud tow be put 1T W
y B., which 10 what the disinterestes
and peculiarly well-informea witness
MowGtt. wheelsman Of the Colusa
meant, have no doubt, 20 testify whel
he said w. y N. and les the collision b
assigned 10 each q point IN the paths .
the ship and tua as will give fair pisy Z
the respective momentums Of the to
yess. u in bringing about their dnal dis
position when the collision was con
summaie, and the appearances OF
served on board Of each vessel respect
J ing the others is resolved for the mos
cart into . mere question Of relativ
speed.
ind that the tide vas flowing up %
Straits about three miles al hoar, an
the Wind blowing fEeah In the sam
} direction At sash rate IS 70 give wi'
! the tide q velocity Of eight mild
! was making two miles q
hour, and would have been maxim
/ abont ave miles an hour IN slill Watel
. starboard bow of the ship tWo OF thre
. points. thooeh her toS did at aboa
] |, 100 feet before the eollisioO. Captai
4 NA&AN1A - 9Mkf&EN4 " Wv nENNHA3Al
facts 10 the case when be testiaes 10 %
, contrary. Perhaps from about 10 mir
ates 20 minutes before the coilisioE
he did not notice the. tugs movsnent
,, for the reason thas from aboat half a
hour 70 10 minutes before Il she ~
opening out 10 staEboard regularly 90
continuously, and 30 when At minuts
befora Il be saw her ahead. be impote
10 Der an openine oat 30 sfabboard b
, yo1d shat really happened and also
fietitioas change Of course. What 9th
2 ere on the ship, besidss him. have testi
| aed - 10 change Of the tags csurae b
fore the latter ported her helm ia "a
fTssAis, IL explained By the considerable
thai the SWING Of the ship would caas
an Apparent change Ia the coarse Of Cd
2 tug.
That the tags eoiored liehts, an
7 also the "ColusA's" Were In good COZ
dities aud properly placed. aud vel
established By . fair preponderancs {
The evidence. / cannot bat heiisS
that their red lights we're seen from th
! ship, and that there kas been Q wiiIfg
suppression Of evidsncs ia this parties
, lar on the part Of The witnesses calle
} FROM aboard the sAip. and that II Q
> tie ships crsv bad been examined. d
I fscs thai thee hehta we're seen frec
4 fha ahfn fnR fars A tusaiwa rv.tnnfsa -